Carriage for a centrifugal casting machine and machine including said carriage



P. E. LORANG 3,456,716 CARRIAGE FOR A CENTRIFUGAL CASTING MACHINE July22, 1969 AND MACHINE INCLUDING SAID CARRIAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan.18, 1967 TIETK finial LORAN -44' 1 An m July 22, 1969 P. E. LORANG 3,

CARRIAGE FOR A CENTRIFUGAL CASTING MACHINE AND MACHINE INCLUDING SAIDCARRIAGE Filed Jan. 18, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 III VEAV'OR: Vl'c'rq Yeaaward R 6' 7- Mam why? 3,456,716 CARRIAGE FDR A (IENTRIFUGAL CASTINGMACHINE AND MACHINE INCLUDING SAID CARRIAGE Pierre Edouard Lorang,Nancy, France, assignor to Centre de Recherches de Pont-a-Mousson, aFrench body-corporate Filed Jan. 18, 1967, Ser. No. 610,082 Claimspriority, application France, Feb. 7, 1966, 48,631/ 66 Int. Cl. B22d13/10 US. Cl. 164301 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF HIE DKSCLOSURE Mould supportcarriage for a centrifugal casting machine which employs two pouringtroughs alternately, the carriage carrying on each side a longitudinallyextending assembly of aligned channel-sectioned supports for receivingand supporting the corresponding trough while the other trough is beingused for casting.

The present invention relates to machines for centrifugally casting ironpipes having a socket in accordance with the de Lavaud method, asdescribed, for example, in US. Patent No. 1,329,295. The invention moreparticularly relates to the mould support carriage of machines of thistype having a high output and equipped with parallel pouring troughs.

It is known that the pouring troughs or channels have great length and asmall section and are subjected to high flexion due to their weight. Forthe purpose of avoiding an excessive sagging of the end of each trough,and in particular the end of the trough which is inoperative and at restwhile the other trough is operative (since the end of the operativetrough can rest on the inner wall of the centrifugal casting mould), theinvention aims at providing very simple guide and support means.

The object of the invention is to provide a mould support carriage for acentrifugal casting machine wherein the liquid metal is supplied by wayof one or the other of two parallel pouring troughs, said carriagecarrying on each side, namely on the right and left side thereof, alongitudinally extending assembly of aligned supports f r receiving thecorresponding right or left trough when inoperative and at rest, saidsupport assemblies being spaced apart transversely of the carriage adistance equal to twice the distance between the two pouring troughs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a centrifugal castingmachine having two pouring troughs and equipped with said improvedcarriage.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe ensuing description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view of a centrifugal castingmachine equipped with a carriage having trough supports according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a corresponding plan view;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial elevational view of one of the trough supportassemblies, on a scale greater than that of FIGS. 1-3;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views taken along lines 5-5 and 6-6 ofFIG. 4, and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of one trough supportassembly according to the invention.

In the ensuing description, the end of any element of the machineadjacent the pouring ladle B will be termed 3,456,716 Patented July 22,1969 the upstream end and the end of said element remote from the ladlethe downstream end.

In the illustrated embodiment, the invention relates to a centrifugalcasting machine having a Carriage A which supports internally a rotarymould or shell a (FIGS. 2 and 3). The carriage A undergoes alongitudinal movement of translation. The centrifugal casting mould areceives iron from either of two pouring troughs or passages 2 and 2awhich are fed alternately by a tiltable pouring ladle B.

The troughs 2 and 2a are simultaneously transversely movable intranslation in the known manner so that one (2a) of the troughs whichhas just poured metal is withdrawn laterally so that the other (2) canin turn come into action. The two troughs are parallel and supported attheir upstream ends, near the ladle B, by a transverse carriage C (FIGS.1 and 2) which turns the troughs about their longitudinal axis (knownarrangement) and, further along the troughs in the downstream direction,by a second longitudinally movable carriage D which has a transverselymovable slide D The carriage D is connected to the upstream end of thecarriage A in such manner as to move with the latter. The slide Dsupports the troughs 2 and 2a as they are moved transversely. Inparticular, the slide D supports the free or inoperative trough (2a)when the latter is at rest and the carriage A is at the greatestdistance from the pouring ladle B (the downstream position shown indashed line in FIG. 2).

According to the invention, a left and a right longitudinal assembly, Eand E of trough supports are mounted on each side of the carriage A. Thetwo assemblies are symmetrically disposed relative to the axis X-X ofthe mould a (FIG. 2) and spaced apart transversely of the latter adistance 2x which is equal to twice the distance x between the troughs 2and 2a. The latter rest in turn on one or the other, E or E of saidsupport assemblies.

Each trough support assembly comprises short halfsleeves 3 formingchannels (FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 6, 7). For example, two half-sleeves areprovided. Each half-sleeve has at its upstream end a conical flaredentrance portion 4 which guides the nose of the trough as it enters thesupport. Each support assembly also comprises a complete sleeve 5 at thedownstream end of the assembly, this sleeve having a conical flaredentrance portion 6 in which the downstream end of the trough 2 or 2a isdisposed when this trough is inoperative.

The half-sleeves 3 and the sleeve 5 are supported by brackets 7 fixed tothe carriage A. They are in axial alignment and are spaced apart greatdistances. The interest of this arrangement will be explainedhereinafter. The distance between the half-sleeve 3 adjacent thecarriage D and the end sleeve 5 corresponds to the length of the trough2 or 2a adapted to be inserted in the mould a.

Each support assembly E or E is completed by a vertical protecting wall8 with which the half-sleeves 3 and the sleeve 5 are rigid. Thisvertical wall 8 is secured to the carriage A and is in the extension ofthe edges of the half-sleeves 3 adjacent said carriage. The length ofthe vertical wall 7 corresponds to the length of the troughs 1 and 2.

The carriage operates in the following manner:

It will be assumed that the trough 2 is operative and the trough 2ainoperative.

As the carriage A moves towards the trough 2 from the downstreamposition shown in dotted line in FIG. 2 towards the position shown infull line, the trough 2a, which is in alignment with the supportassembly E is engaged on the first half-sleeve 3. The flared portion 4guides the trough. Then the trough 2a is engaged on the secondhalf-sleeve 3. Finally, the end of the trough 2a 3 stops inside thesleeve 5. The part of FIG. 2 in full line shows the trough 2 inoperation which pours the iron into the mould while the trough 2a is atrest on its support assembly E During the pouring, the trough 2a at restis turned upside down so as to empty the iron remaining from theprevious pouring which is solidified in the form of small rods. Thespaces between the sleeve and the half-sleeves 3 allow these rods todrop away.

Owing to the half-sleeves 3 and the support sleeve 5, the pouring troughretains its rectilinear shape. Owing to the sleeve 5, which acts as ajournal for the end of the trough the latter is well supported andguided as it is being turned over. Thus, the pouring trough is wellsupported and guided by each element of the assembly E and is lesssubject to deformations and has a longer life.

Owing to the vertical protecting wall 8, the end of the trough has notendency to hook against projecting portions of the housing of thecarriage A as the carriage moves towards the ladle B.

The conical flared portions 4 and 6 of the half-sleeves 3 and of thesleeve 5 allow the nose of the trough to engage the supports in acorrect manner even if the trough is slightly distorted.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been described, manymodifications and changes may be made therein without departing from thescope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Thus, an element of the support assemblies E can be constructed from asingle sheet of metal constituting the vertical wall 8 one of thelongitudinal edges of which is notched so as to form bent tabs. The tabsbent into the form of a U form the half-sleeves 3 and the end tab isbent com letely onto itself and forms the end sleeve 5. It will beunderstood that this sleeve and these halfsleeves are completed byconical flared portions,

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a centrifugal casting machine having a mould and twolongitudinally extending transversely spaced parallel pouring troughswhich are adapted to be employed alternately so that each trough isemployed while the other is at rest, a longitudinally movable mouldsupport carriage having a first longitudinally extending side and asecond longitudinally extending side and on which the mould is mountedfor movement with the carriage longitudinally of the trough in use forpouring metal into the mould, a first longitudinally extending assemblyof aligned supports and a second longitudinally extending assembly ofaligned supports respectively carried by said carriage on said first andsecond sides thereof for respectively receiving said pouring troughswhen the correspond-' ing trough is at rest, said support assembliesbeing spaced apart transversely of the machine a distance equal t twicethe distance between said pouring troughs, and means for guiding thetroughs onto the corresponding assembly of aligned supports.

2. In a centrifugal casting machine having a mould and twolongitudinally extending transversely spaced parallel pouring troughswhich are adapted to be employed alternately so that each trough isemployed while the other is at rest, a mould support carriage having afirst longitudinally extending side and a second longitudinallyextending side, a first longitudinally extending assembly of alignedsupports and a second longitudinally extending assembly of alignedsupports respectively carried by said carriage on said first and secondsides thereof for respectively receiving said pouring troughs when thecorresponding trough is at rest, said support assemblies being spacedapart transversely of the machine a distance equal to twice the distancebetween said pouring troughs, each support assembly comprising shorthalf-sleeves constituting a channel and a complete end sleeve in axialalignment with the half-sleeves, the half-sleeves and the complete endsleeve being spaced apart a great distance.

3. A mould support carriage as claimed in claim 2, wherein the endsleeve and the half-sleeves of each assembly each comprise an upstreamconical flared entrance portion.

4. A mould support carriage as claimed in claim 2, wherein each supportassembly comprises a vertical protecting wall with which the sleeve andhalf-sleeves are integral, said wall being in the extension of thoseedges of the half-sleeves which are adjacent the carriage.

5. A mould support carriage as claimed in claim 4, wherein the endsleeve and the half-sleeves are fastened to said wall.

6. A mould support carriage as claimed in claim 4, wherein thehalf-sleeves and the end sleeve consist of bent extensions of alongitudinal marginal portion of said vertical protecting wall.

7. In a centrifugal casting machine having a mould and twolongitudinally extending transversely spaced parallel pouring troughswhich are adapted to be employed alternately so that each trough isemployed while the other is at rest, a longitudinally movable mouldsupport carriage having a first longitudinally extending side and asecond longitudinally extending side and on Which the mould is mountedfor movement with the carriage longitudinally of the trough in use forpouring metal into the mould, a first longitudinally extending assemblyof aligned supports and a second longitudinally extending assembly ofaligned supports respectively carried by said carriage on said first andsecond sides thereof for respectively receiving said pouring troughswhen the corresponding trough is at rest, said support assemblies beingspaced apart transversely of the machine a distance equal to twice thedistance between said pouring troughs, and means for guiding the troughsonto the corresponding assembly of aligned supports, said supports ofeach assembly of aligned supports being in longitudinally spacedrelation to each other so that a large part of the trough supportedthereby is unobstructed by the supports when it is turned over, wherebythe residual metal tipped out of the trough can fall away between thesupports.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4 1,489,032 4/1924 Haynes 1642991,521,244 12/1924 Ladd 164299 X 2,523,558 9/1950 Cavallier 164-300 I.SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner JOHN S. BROWN, Assistant Examiner

